Thursday, 12 April 2012

People Roundup

By Chuck Foster and John Bowman

Matt Smith has talked about his approach to choosing roles. "Well, I guess I choose whatever the best role is but it's very hard to find a part like the Doctor. But I suppose I wouldn't go and play a really clever scientist who's mad next - unless it was a really dark one. I think acting's about variety, so you're constantly trying to find a variety of identities to explore because that's what makes it interesting."[Independent, 5 Apr 2012]

While we await his reappearance on TV as the Doctor, Smith can be seen in his first major film, Clone, when it gets its UK release on 4th May. In it, he plays a man who dies in a car accident but whose girlfriend gives birth to a genetic copy of him. Production on the film, which originally had the title Womb, started in March 2009. A special preview will take place on 1st May at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival. [Digital Spy, 11 Apr 2012]

David Tennant has also spoken about taking on roles, this time for children and with regard to his voiceover for the CBeebies animated series Tree Fu Tom: "I haven't done anything for this age of children before, but they are formative years and it's really important we create television of a high quality for that audience. Generally speaking we don't have vivid memories from when we were pre-school age but the programmes you watch when you are that young, when you’re still learning about how the world works, are very important. Television, more than any other medium, is what influenced me as a child and formed my response to literature, storytelling and, therefore, the world around me."[Daily Mail, 6 Apr 2012]

Tennant's image is to turn up in a new comic, America's Got Powers, written by Jonathan Ross. The chat show host said: "He agreed to let us use his likeness in one of the characters and it looks great. His character is kind of the mastermind behind a brutal reality show where kids with super powers slug it out to join the only Government-sanctioned super team."[The Sun, 10 Apr 2012]

A tweet by Laurence Fox on 5th April announced to the world that wife Billie Piper had given birth to their second child that day. He wrote: "One born every minute. We had our minute today. Couldn't be happier. Beautiful boy. Everything fine." Yesterday, Fox tweeted that the baby, who is a brother to three-year-old Winston, had been named Eugene Pip.

Derek Jacobi is to have a long-held wish come true when he appears in Coronation Street - but viewers may not recognise him. The renowned actor will only be seen at the back of a Rovers Return shot, which was filmed during a private visit last week to the set of the Phil Collinson-produced soap. In an interview five years ago, Jacobi told how he had always wanted to be in the ITV programme. It is not known when the episode will air. [BBC News, 11 Apr 2012]

Robert Glenister has less-than-fond memories of his time on Doctor Who. The actor, who played Salateen in Peter Davison's swansong The Caves of Androzani, tells Radio Times: "I still get people outside the stage door with that picture of me looking about 12 and I am appalled at myself every time I see it. I looked like a complete berk and wish I never had to see it again." Ironically, Glenister says that his favourite television role was in the Davison-starring BBC1 comedy series Sink or Swim, which ran from 1980 to 1982 and gave him his TV break playing the younger brother of Davison's character. [Radio Times, 12 Apr 2012]

John de Lancie provides the voice of Professor Fitz Quadwrangle in a new video puzzle game, Quantum Conundrum, to be released for PSN, XBLA and Windows platforms. [The Sixth Axis, 4 Apr 2012]